The First Time
by HippogriffRider77
Summary: Victorie Weasley hasn't ever been her family's favorite, so she doesn't understand the fascination her brother's friend, Teddy, has with her...until she's older.
1. Saw

_The first time I saw him…_

The first time I really saw Teddy Lupin was on the Hogwarts Express on the way to school third year; my cousin James had just found my compartment and said that his friend had told him to find someone he'd known.  
"That's awful, James, why would he desert you like that if he's your friend?" I asked, thinking about how terrible it is enough to be a first year without the extra stress of having to find your own friends.  
"Well, Teddy's very popular. I guess he had no more room for his first year mate in his car."  
I looked to where James was gesturing and saw who he meant almost immediately; Teddy Lupin was sitting in the compartment across from ours, laughing with the other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, his hair a bright yellow.  
I sighed and tousled James' hair, "Don't worry about it," I told him, putting my book back into my bag, "Teddy isn't one for anything besides popularity when it comes to Hogwarts."  
"You know him?"  
"I did, in my first year before the Quidditch players recruited him for 'future player groups'. If I were you I wouldn't give it a second thought, James. You have me, and Lorcan, and Lysander, and Dominique. Not to mention all of the other first years you're going to meet tonight. You'll be fine. You, James Sirius Potter, will be brilliant."  
James smiled, and I could tell he was embarrassed, but grateful for the support.  
And then, the train pulled into the station and James was called off for the boats and I had to find Mirela to get a carriage.

_The second time I saw him…_

It was a few weeks after the beginning of term. I had woken up early and gone to the library, wanting to focus on writing to my parents before breakfast when everyone in my dorm would be waking up. I walked into the library and to one of the tables near the back, concealed from anyone who may be wandering around early as well. I got to the back of the library and turned to sit at one of the tables when I saw a boy with dark blue hair sitting slouched over with his head bent over a book, his hair falling into his face.  
I didn't want to be caught and have him think I was 'staring' at him, so I quickly turned and tried to walk away from the table, but he saw me.  
"Oh, hey, Victorie," he called, "It's been awhile, how are you doing?"  
I knew if my mother was there, she would have been screeching in ear about how I was being rude, but she wasn't, and I needed to get away from Teddy Lupin before it happened again.  
"I'm great, you know, I was just up here because I was looking for something, but I think I might miss breakfast, and I really don't want Mirela to yell at me for not being there, so I'm going to go." I said, quickly walking away before he could say anything else.  
After that, I avoided the library and anything else that could let me near Teddy Lupin.

_The third time I saw him…_

I was about ready to strangle Louis. If my father wasn't in the room, and if it wouldn't have been considered extremely impolite by my mother to murder his host while he was there, I probably would have.  
It was during Easter holidays, and my Aunt Ginny's family was out of town visiting Luna and Neville, so they weren't there.  
So, of course, that meant that my parents had to take pity on my brother's mate Teddy.  
And so, I got to spend my Easter in the same bloody house as Teddy Lupin! Fantastic.  
The first morning of vacation, when I went downstairs for breakfast, there he was, sitting in _my _chair at the table, laughing with _my _family, and acting like he lived there! His hair was that bright yellow again, and when he looked up from laughing so hard that he had to hide his face in his arms, he looked straight at me.  
"Morning, sweetie," my mother said, handing another plate of food to Teddy, "Are you hungry, dear? Your father went all out this morning in honor of you all being home."  
"Hey, Victorie," Teddy said, "Good to see you again."  
Since my mother was there, I smiled politely in his direction, and walked towards my parents with my arms folded in front of me, "When did he get here?" I whispered to my father when I was close enough not to be overheard by anyone else.  
"Last night; Louis said he had nowhere to go for the holiday because his grandmother had to work all through your vacation and Harry and Ginny went to visit Luna with the kids." He told me, turning the sizzling bacon in the pan over.  
"Ugh," I groaned at the smell of the grease, "Dad, why don't you just use magic for that?"  
"That isn't setting a very good example for any of my children, now is it? To let you see that magic is the answer to everything?"  
"Well, Uncle George does; all the time."  
My father's face changed then, into something devastated, "Well, Victorie, that's different, love."  
"Victorie, dear, why don't you go get dressed and then you can show Teddy around out back while Louis helps your brother?" my mother asked then, immediately near my father as if to keep him from falling backwards.  
"I didn't mean to bring it up, I'm sorry—"  
"Please just listen to your mother, Victorie," my father said as they walked out of the room.  
"Well, sorry, Ted, looks like Vic just ruined the fun," Louis said from behind me, and I turned to see him leaning back in his chair, his arms behind his head.  
"Listen to me, Louis, I didn't mean to bring up Uncle Fred! He was the first bloody person who popped into my head! Bloody hell, why do you always make it so that I make mistakes? Some older brother you always turn out to be!"  
As I walked towards the stairs to my bedroom, I could swear I had heard Teddy telling Louis to give me a break.


	2. Talked

_The first time… _

The first time I had a real conversation with Teddy Lupin, it was during Easter holidays. My brother had just finished being a complete arse to me for accidentally bringing up our uncle, and I had run upstairs to be alone. I'd been in a hurry and didn't close my bedroom door, but I slid onto the floor next to my closet and drew my knees forward to cry. I was used to being scolded by my family—it happened constantly, because obviously I wasn't the favorite—but my brother was cruel.

There was a knock on the doorframe from around the corner, and I took a deep breath, hoping it wouldn't be painfully obvious that Louis had hurt me once again.

"I'm sorry, Mum, I promise I'll be downstairs in a minute to show him around," I called, assuming it was my mother who had come upstairs. She was always the first to check on me.

"No need, I'm in no hurry," a voice said, and I looked up from my legs to see Teddy standing in front of me, looking worried. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry, you care?" I scoffed, not caring that I was forgetting the manners my mother was insistent on drilling into me and my siblings, "Or are you just up here to yell at me some more since Louis couldn't finish?"

"I know it might be hard for you to believe, Victorie, but I really do care," he said, stepping forward and sitting in front of me.

"You must be mad, then. The only people in my family who ever care are Roxanne and my Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's family, and they're in Paris visiting with family friends at the moment."

"I know where Harry and Ginny are, I'm their godson. And I know you must not want me here, but I didn't ask your family to let me stay here, your father and mother are just good people."

"You must feel very lucky, Lupin," I said, not realizing that I had stopped crying. "Because they sure love you."

"They love you too, you know."

"They don't," I whispered, looking towards the ground as to not have to look at him. "They hate me, and I don't know why."

"Victorie Weasley, nobody could ever _hate _you. They all love you, they just forget to tell you sometimes. I know Louis only acts the way he does because your brother's kind of a prat."

That made me laugh.

"Yeah." I said, grinning, "Louis is definitely that. He seems pretty open about telling Dominique how much he loves her, though. I'm the odd sibling out, it's okay, I'm used to it."

"Well," Teddy sighed, "I don't know who you've been talking to that led you to that conclusion, but there's nothing about you that I can see that could call you odd."

"You're just saying that so I'll get dressed and let you go outside so you can stop talking to me about my family issues."

"Are you joking? This is the most interesting conversation I've had in weeks."

_The second time… _

The second time I had a real conversation with Teddy, it was during a Quidditch game, one of the last games of the season. For once, Gryffindor wasn't in the running for the Quidditch Cup, and Ravenclaw had gotten out of the tournament last game, so neither one of us were playing.

I was standing in one of the stands with my friend Mirela, who was two years ahead of me, and we were waiting for the game to start. Her boyfriend was a Slytherin—something I _still _don't entirely understand—and she was talking to him while he kept his broom up in midair, while waiting for the Hufflepuff team to come into the air.

"Victorie!" a voice said from to my right, startling me, and I turned to see Teddy, his hair the same color of my robes.

"Oh! Hi, Teddy. Are you waiting for Louis?" I asked, suddenly regretting sitting where I was; where Teddy was, my brother usually was, and that meant dealing with him.

"He's playing, remember? Hufflepuff Keeper." Teddy laughed, shaking his head.

"I…somehow I hadn't realized my brother played Quidditch."

Teddy gave me a confused look and shook his head, "You are kidding, aren't you?"

"Oh, that's funny," I laughed. "You really think that my brother tells me things."

Teddy sighed, and nodded, "The game's starting."

I turned towards the field and saw the Hufflepuffs rising into the air. For the first time, I noticed my brother fly towards the goal posts, and I gave a sarcastic wave as Mirela's boyfriend flew to meet with his team.

Have you taken your exams yet?" Teddy asked then, catching me by surprise. I had expected him to be paying attention to the game; or at least, not me.

"I've taken some," I told him. "I still have my Transfiguration exam, and my Charms exam, but I figure those shouldn't be very hard."

"I'm going to guess that the exams haven't changed in the past year, so no, I'd say you have nothing to worry about."

"What made you want to come up here with the Weasley girl?" I asked, turning to watch the game, "I figured you would want to stay near your god-family."

"Pardon?"

I gave him a confused look, "James Potter? Harry and Ginny's eldest, my cousin? I do hope you know who he is, you've only lived with him before."

"Oh, right, James. No, we don't hang out much at school."

"And why not? He wanted to at the beginning of the year. He was so nervous about starting Hogwarts, you should have seen it. I would have felt bad for him if I didn't know him well enough to know he'd be okay."

"Harry asked me to not spend too much time occupying James; said he needed to come out of his shell and he'd be okay. I've still talked to him this year, we _are _in the same House. I showed him around to his classes the first week since he doesn't have the Map."

"Do I even want to know what that is?"

"Knowing you, probably not."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Teddy laughed and shook his head, "Nothing, Victorie."

"Who's this, V?" Mirela asked, and I turned to look at her, for the first time remembering she was there since the match had started.

"Mirela, Teddy Lupin; Teddy, Mirela Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" Teddy asked, shaking her hand. "I thought the only Malfoy kid was Scorpius; that's what I've heard, anyway."

"I'm his eldest sister," Mirela said, sighing, "There are four of us. I'm the eldest, my younger sister, Madeline, is in fourth year, Scorpius will be starting school here next term, and then our youngest sister is only five years of age."

"The Malfoy family is starting to sound like the Weasleys," Teddy laughed, nudging me.

I rolled my eyes, "Well, you can take that up with the warlock who decided to curse my great-great gran to only having sons until my Aunt Ginny was born."

"A similar thing happened to my father's family as well," Mirela said, looking briefly at the field. "My grandmother, Narcissa, has told me that she had tried having a family for years before my father was born. Every time she had tried to have a child before then, it ended badly. By some miracle, my mother and father were able to have a daughter, and there have been three more Malfoy children born since them."

"And here I am, with only myself." Teddy joked, but I could tell that he was serious.

"Teddy," I said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of your—"

"They lost their lives so I could keep mine, Victorie," he said, cutting me off. "I understand. Don't apologize for something you had nothing to do with."

_The third time… _

I talked to Teddy, it was on the train on the way home at the end of my third year. Mirela had run off on me to snog her boyfriend, and I was sitting by myself in a compartment. I had half-expected James to come in to see if he could sit with me, but, as I soon learned, he had found friends to sit with. And then, with blind hope, I found myself hoping that maybe, my older sister Dominique would walk in to sit with me, but that's when I remembered that she was Louis's twin sister, and she would be off with her friends.

We had been on our way to London for probably an hour, and I was starting to wonder if I'd even get to see any of my family before we got off the train, when the car door opened, and I looked up from the window to see Teddy, his hair not much lighter than mine.

"Do you mind?" he asked, "The other cars are full."

"Shouldn't you be sitting with Louis? I'm sure sitting with his annoying little sister isn't the way to stay his best mate."

"How long is it going to take you to realize that you are far more than an annoying little sister?" he asked, closing the compartment door and sitting across from me.

"Once I hear somebody say it who actually _is _related to me, then I'll consider taking it in as the truth."

Teddy rolled his eyes, "You are _extremely _difficult to prove anything to."

"So I've heard."

"I got a letter from Harry before we left today, you know. He told me I can stay with him this summer, or at least until my grandmother gets back home, so I won't be intruding on your summer."

"I don't think you'd be intruding. But it's nice to know, thank you. I got a letter from my Aunt Ginny this morning, as well, though."

"Oh?"

"I talk to her. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny actually do like me, and my aunt is basically the only aunt I have who I talk to. She knows how bad things can get, and she offered to let me stay there for the summer, as well."

"And…are you going to stay there?"

"I was considering it." I told him, looking up, "But if you don't want me intruding on your summer, I'll understand—"

"Oh, no, it…it's fine. They are _your _family, after all."


	3. Fancied

**A/N: I just realized that the years are a bit messed up, so sorry about that! But it'll all work out one way or another, so please, just bear with me! **

_The first time… _

I knew I fancied him, it was sometime in June. I had been staying with my aunt and uncle all summer, and so had he. My aunt and uncle live in a small village called Godric's Hollow, in a house that my Uncle Harry had rebuilt right after he and my Aunt Ginny had gotten engaged, so they could live where my uncle was supposed to have grown up. It wasn't a very large house, and I had my nine year old cousin Lily as a roommate, but it worked.

In Godric's Hollow, there was a cemetery, where my Uncle Harry's mum and dad were buried. As odd as it probably sounds, I spent lots of that summer walking around that graveyard by myself. It was there that it happened the first time.

I was walking through the cemetery, and I stopped in front of the plot that belonged to Lily and James Potter, my uncle's parents. My aunt had told me that beauty was important, even in death, so every morning before I left she would conjure a flower for me, a lily, for me to leave at their grave. I bent down and put the flower in the tiny space between their stones, and I stood to just look at it.

"Somehow I hadn't pegged you as being one to walk around cemeteries," a voice called out, and Teddy walked up to me from the gate.

"I have family here," I told him, nodding to the grave.

He read the names, and sighed, "Harry's parents. I forgot they had been buried here."

"Do you know where…" I stopped talking. I couldn't ask it, I couldn't. it would be incredibly rude, not to mention disrespectful; my mother would be screaming at me if she knew the thought was even in my head—

"Do I know where my parents are?" he asked, somehow guessing immediately what I had been talking about, "Not exactly, it…it's complicated. My grandmother took me to see them once, when I was younger, with Harry, but…no, I can't say I remember it too well."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "I know I'm not on the best terms with my parents, but I can't even imagine what it would be like to have to grow up without them."

"Don't apologize for it, Victorie. You weren't even alive yet, you had nothing to do with what happened to them."

"No, but…it still can't be easy. I can't even begin to try to figure out what it must be like for you, and I wish I could help somehow."

"That's the difference between you and your brother." He said, looking at me and catching me off guard.

"Wh…what are you talking about?"

"Sure, your brother is my best mate, but he never talks to me about my parents. That's what I like about you; you care about that type of thing."

"You're nice to me," I said, shrugging. "Not many people are."

"That's just because some people don't see how absolutely incredible Miss Victorie Weasley is."

There was a feeling I wasn't used to in my stomach then, and I gave him a confused look, knowing it was there because of him.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Victorie?" he asked.

There it was again, when he said my name. It was then that I understood. I shook my head and stepped around him, preparing to sprint back to the house.

"Nothing. I should go, I told my aunt that I would help teach Albus some basic spells and things today so he can be prepared for Hogwarts next semester." I said quickly.

_The second time… _

I knew I fancied Teddy, it was a terrible, terrible day in Diagon Alley. My entire family has this tradition of going to get all of our school supplies on the same day, so we all meet up at my Gran's to use the Floo Network.

"If you want to wait to go with your grandmother, I'm sure the others will understand," I told him, grabbing the bag that I always used at school; once I got my things, I'd just put them there and get it over with.

"Are you kidding? Crazy Potter and Weasley outing, or going to stores that bring back too many memories with my grandmother? Aren't I apart of this family, anyway?"

I walked down the stairs to see my aunt, uncle, and cousins waiting for us.

My aunt and uncle Apparated us to my grandparents' house, the Burrow, and before anything else, my gran ran outside and hugged my cousins, Uncle Harry, and Aunt Ginny first, before she made her way to me.

"Victorie, dear, it's so good to see you! I was concerned when you didn't come to visit with Dominique and Louis weeks ago, but they told me that you weren't staying at your house this summer." She said, gripping me in one of her signature tight hugs, "My, my, dear, you're so thin! Have Harry and Ginny been feeding you?"

I looked towards my aunt and uncle, who rolled their eyes, and I could see Teddy out of the corner of my eye, biting his lip, trying not to laugh.

"Yes, Gran, I've been eating; I _am _a Weasley, after all, I'm genetically linked to eat every chance I get."

"Well, clearly Ginny has forgotten how to cook in the past nineteen years," my gran said, and I could tell that my aunt was rolling her eyes, even if I couldn't see her. "Never mind that, dear. I'll make sure that you eat enough after we get back tonight."

She loosened her grip on me and set her sights on Teddy.

"Oh, Teddy, dear!" she said, gripping him, "I'm so glad that you're coming with us!"

"I'm happy to be here, Mrs. Weasley," he said, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

_"Mrs. Weasley?" _I mouthed at him, and he rolled his eyes.

"You're like a grandchild to me as well, dear, call me Gran."

There was a popping sound from behind me, and I turned to see my Aunt Angelina, Uncle George, and my cousins Fred and Roxanne Apparate onto the lawn.

"Vicky!" Roxanne exclaimed, running forward to hug me.

"Hi, Roxy! I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too. Somebody obviously decided that she didn't need to come visit _all _summer."

"I was staying nearby, you could have owled me to have us meet up."

"Because _I'd _think of that, Vic," Roxanne rolled her eyes. "You are the smart one between us, remember?"

I laughed, and saw my aunt and uncle walk up behind Roxanne, my cousin with him.

"Hey, Fred," I told him, before looking up at my uncle, "Hi, Uncle George."

"You keep looking more and more like your mother, you know." Aunt Angelina said, "I'm sure I could say the same for your sister, if I had seen her recently."

"Angelina!" my Aunt Ginny called, and she turned to look at her, before walking over to my other aunt.

"Where's the rest of the Bill and Fleur Weasley set?" Uncle George asked, looking around.

"I came with Uncle Harry and the others," I explained. "So I'm not sure. If Louis's awake yet, I'm sure they'll be here soon."

"Teddy!" Fred yelled, causing Teddy to jump next to me, and Fred pulled his arm, dragging him towards the house, "I didn't know you were coming, come on!"

There was another pop, and this time it as my Uncle Percy, Aunt Audrey, and their daughters Molly and Lucy who appeared on the lawn.

"Lily!" Lucy shrieked, running to my cousin. My uncle walked towards the house, and my aunt—always the mute around our family—followed him.

"Oi, Molly, over here!" Roxanne yelled, and our cousin walked over to us.

My Uncle Fred excused himself from the trio of his nieces and he walked towards the house.

"Excited for school to start, Moll?" Roxanne asked.

"Ugh," Molly groaned. "God, no. My father hasn't talked to me in weeks because I didn't make Head Girl, and he seems to think that at least one of his daughters needs to make it seventh year, and clearly Lucy didn't make it."

"I'm sure it will be fine, Molly." I told her, although I knew she probably wouldn't have a real conversation with her parents for a while. My Uncle Percy' family kind of scared me, because they were so hung up on being perfect.

"As long as I stay in the top of my class all year, I think I might still get an internship at the Ministry."

I could see our conversation getting worse fast, and I was almost grateful when another pop sounded from behind me. I turned, and saw my Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Rose and Hugo show up.

"Uncle Ron!" Roxanne called, running towards him, "You're never going to guess what happened when I played Quidditch this summer against Fred!"

"I played for a professional team until we got married, and not once has she wanted to talk to me." Aunt Ginny grumbled, and I heard Uncle Harry laugh.

Molly sighed and walked away from me, and Rose and Hugo ran past me towards James and Albus.

Once again, there was another pop, and I could hear my brother talking before I even saw him.

"Okay, Vic, time's up," He called, walking over to me. "Where have you hidden Teddy?"

"Why do you assume I have him?"

"You lived with him all summer."

"We lived in the same house, we weren't spending quality time together."

"Louis, give your sister a break, none of us have seen her since Easter," I heard my dad say, and I pushed past my brother and ran to hug him and my mother.

"Well, it's nice to see you, too, sis." Dominique said, and I turned to see my sister, blonde and tan, standing behind me.

"Bloody hell, Dom, how did you get tan? We never do, we're always lobster-like if we try."

"It's fake." She whispered, "But don't tell Teddy that, I want him to think this is just my natural Veela letting me do this."

The thought of my sister fancying Teddy revolted me, but of course I couldn't say anything. The chances of him ever returning my feelings were all but nonexistent, and besides, if he fancied one of us, it would be my sister.

"I won't, I promise." I told her, forcing a smile as I hugged her.

It was nice to hug my sister, but it was also strange; Dominque and I had never been close, but for an instant it felt as if we had always been.

"Alright, everyone's here!" My Gran yelled, and I broke apart from my sister and turned around to see her walking out of the house, my uncles, aunt, cousin, grandfather, and Teddy with her, "We best be going."

"Teddy!" Dominique yelled, shoving past our brother before stopping in front of him, "It's so good to see you! Oh, what do you think?" she asked, stretching her arms out, "I finally got tan, so we know being Weasley hasn't completely cursed me."

"It looks great, Dom, really. It's good to see you."

It had taken me months to realize how I felt about Teddy, and it was getting taken away from me by my sister. I shook my head and walked towards Roxanne, deciding to stay close to the only person in my family I trusted.

_The third time… _

I knew that I fancied Teddy, I actually told him. We hadn't talked since the day we all went to get our school supplies, and it was the first night back at Hogwarts. I had just watched Albus, get sorted into Gryffindor, and Rose into Ravenclaw with me. We were sitting at the Ravenclaw table, eating dinner, when Rose looked at me from across the table.

"What is it, Rosie, you want me to grab something for you?" I asked, setting my goblet of pumpkin juice down.

Rose nodded, gesturing behind me, and I turned to see Teddy just standing there.

"Do you need something?" I asked, trying not to notice that his hair was purple.

"Can we talk?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"Teddy, we're in the middle of dinner, can't we wait until tomorrow morning?"

"No, it can't. Rose, will you be okay alone for a minute so I can talk to Victorie?"

I turned towards my cousin, hoping she would say no, she wouldn't be okay; I had to distance myself from Teddy, for the sake of my sister. We might not get along, but I knew better than to get involved with the guy that Dominique fancied; sisters didn't do that.

But Rose nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm sure there are other Ravenclaws I can talk to. Oh, look. I'm at a table full of them. Go on, Vic, I'll be okay for a minute."

I sighed, and stood up, gesturing towards the doors to the entrance hall, "Come on."

Teddy and I walked into the hall, and after the doors closed, shutting us off from dinner, he stopped.

"What's so important that you had to talk during the first night back's dinner? In case you didn't realize, my first year cousin is in there."

"In case _you _didn't realize, she's doing perfectly fine on her own."

"Teddy, just tell me what you want."

"You haven't talked to me in weeks, Vic," he said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing's going on, Teddy, I just haven't felt like talking. I'm sorry if that's hurt your feelings, but it's the truth."

"I can tell that you're lying, so you might as well just tell me the real reason you haven't been talking to me."

"Does it matter? It won't change anything, so just let it go."

"Damn it, Victorie, I'm not just going to let it go!"

His tone caught me off guard, and I took a step back.

"Tell me the truth, Vic." He said, stepping towards me, "Or I'll find out in a way I'm not sure you'll like."

"My sister fancies you, you know." I told him, backing up, "I'm sure you caught onto that by now."

"Don't change the subject, Victorie, just tell me—"

"Bloody hell, I'm not changing the subject!" I shouted, immediately grateful for the noise in the Great Hall so nobody heard me, "I'm telling you. Dominique fancies you, and I haven't been talking to you because it's driving me mad, and I know that it's the right thing to do."

"How is ignoring your friend the right thing to do? Is that what your parents are teaching you? I don't have any of those, and I know better than that, Victorie—"

"My sister fancies you!" I shouted, cutting him off. "And you're Louis's best mate, and Dominique and Louis are in your year, so it makes sense that you'd fancy her, too. And it doesn't matter if I feel anything for you or not, because I know that it's stupid, and that I don't stand a chance against my sister, because Dominique is perfect!"

"You…what did you just say?" Teddy asked, his voice suddenly quiet.

It didn't take me long to realize that I had told him the truth. I shook my head and walked back towards the Great Hall.

"Just forget it, Teddy. It doesn't matter."


	4. Fought

_The first time…_

That I fought with Teddy, it was nearly winter holidays at the castle. We hadn't been speaking at all since the first night back and I'd run away from him. He had tried talking to me if he saw me, but I'd gotten pretty good at avoiding him; we weren't in the same House, or the same year, so it was fairly easy to do.

The end-of-term exams were coming up, and I needed to study; Roxanne and I had gotten into the habit of going to the Hippogriff paddock when we needed to study for our tests, even in the winter, and Hagrid was always willing to bring us food—no matter how horrible it was—whenever he could.

I was walking towards the paddock with my Transfiguration and Potions books in my bag, planning on meeting Roxanne. She had to finish Quidditch practice, and then she was going to meet me to help me study. I reached the paddock and stopped dead in my tracks, trying to think of the best way to get away quickly. Teddy was leaning against the paddock with his back to me, but I'd know it was him anywhere; his hair was a surprisingly normal color. Black.

I took a step back, hoping that I'd get to quietly get away without him seeing me, when my foot landed on a twig and snapped. I cursed to myself and Teddy turned to face me.

"Vic," he said quietly, his eyes bright. "Hey."

"Hi." I said in return, waving briefly, hating myself for still feeling the way I felt for him.

"We haven't talked since the first night back, Vic. How's your fourth year been?"

"It's been marvelous, the best year of my entire life. Of course, exams are always exhausting, but I figure that after this I get to go home!"

It was then that I figured out that I'd made a mistake.

Teddy gave me a confused look, "You hate going home. You told me that yourself."

"Did I say that? I don't remember, but home is terrific. Getting to spend weeks upon weeks with Dominique and Louis while my parents go to work…I can't think of a better way to spend my winter holidays."

"Vic, are you sure you're alright? You've never liked going home before."

"Well, then clearly we weren't as close as we thought. You must have misunderstood, you _are _somewhat related to my family, and sometimes they're a bit daft, so don't feel bad, Teddy, it's a mistake anybody could make."

"Victorie, don't pretend to be something you aren't. Why are you acting like this?"

"I'm not pretending anything, Teddy. Are you sure you've been sleeping well? Is Quidditch wearing you down again?"

I know he probably thought I was mad, but it didn't matter; my sister could _not _stop talking about how much she hoped he would ask her to go to Hogsmeade with him next week. I had to keep my distance from him, as much as it killed me.

"Vic, you're scaring me. Did you hit your head? I can take you to the hospital wing, we can make sure that you're—"

"Vicky!" I could hear Roxanne shouting, and I turned to see her walking towards me, "We're still studying today, right?"

"Of course." I said before turning back to Teddy, "I'm really sorry to do this, but you'll have to excuse me; big exams to study for."

Teddy shook his head and took a step forward, walking around Rox, "It's no problem. I'll talk to you later, Vic; bye, Roxanne."

* * *

"Teddy Remus Lupin!" I screamed, making my way through the Great Hall to where he was sitting at the Gryffindor table. Several groups of scared looking first and second years parted as I made my way through them, throwing the letter that I had just received down in front of him, "What the bloody hell is this!?"

Teddy picked up the parchment and read what my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry had written me, too slowly, and my anger only grew with every extra second it took him to read it. Eventually, he folded the letter back into its creases and looked up at me. His hair turned purple and his eyes grey, and he stood up.

"Vic, can we go someplace else to talk about this?" he said quietly, looking only at me, even though hundreds of other students were watching us curiously.

"What in hell is that?" I asked again, not moving.

"Vic, please," he said again, his voice even quieter. "Not here."

I rolled my eyes and turned around, walking quickly through the Great Hall and out the doors, before walking down towards the dungeons; nobody went down there in the mornings, not even Slytherins, so nobody would be there. I didn't slow down for him to catch up. Once I reached the corridor I was looking for, I turned and waited for him until he was standing in front of me.

He held up the letter, "I didn't realize they were going to do this, Vic—"

"You told my aunt that you thought I was drinking firewhiskey underage and that it had made me go mad! How do you _not _expect them to do this?" I hissed, crossing my arms in front of me.

"I told Harry, actually, he must have told Ginny."

I scoffed, "You think that makes a _difference_? God, Teddy! What the hell is your problem? I'm fourteen, I'm not drinking! I'm not Fred or Molly, who drink because they think that'll get them attention! Youknow, you _know _that I would _never _do that!"

"You were acting weird the other day, Vic, I didn't mean for them to overreact, but—"

"But they _did _overreact. And it's because _you _told them that I have a drinking problem. I am _not _Fred and I am _definitely _not Molly! My family may be completely messed up, but I know my parents love me. I know that I'm not named after my father's dead problem, and my parents don't expect me to be perfect. If anything, I was acting weird because I haven't talked to you since September, not because I'm drinking firewhiskey—"

"Victorie, I'm _sorry_. I really am, I didn't mean for anything to happen, I only told them that you were acting differently and I was worried about you."

"_Worried _about me?" I scoffed, "What makes you think that I want you worrying about me?!"

"You did! You're the only reason I said anything, and it's because I care about you!"

Now Teddy was yelling, too.

"You don't need to! I never asked you to! I've never asked you to care about me, Teddy!"

"Yeah, well I didn't ask you to care about me either, but guess what? It happened! It happened, and I don't think I want it to go away, Vic! I didn't mean for Ginny and Harry to think that you're drinking, but at least they didn't tell your parents!"

His words hit me in a way that was more powerful than the spells they taught us when we practice dueling in the spring. I couldn't speak for a few minutes, and when I finally could the words got stuck in my throat.

"Vic…Victorie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, I promise I didn't." Teddy said again, his voice quiet once more, "I worry about you more than I need to, I'm sorry—"

"Yeah, I am, too. I'm sorry I ever had feelings for you in the first place. It was clearly a mistake." I lied, pushing past him and walking back to the entrance hall to find Albus.

_The second time… _

I fought with Teddy, it was after a Quidditch game in my fifth year. Teddy and I hadn't talked for almost a year, ever since our fight. It was the only game I was dreading, but the Quidditch schedule had yet to be finished, so there was a chance that I'd have to go against him again.

The game was in October, on Halloween, of all days. The game was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, and we were both still on the teams.

"I hope you know that you don't have to play," Mirela said, stepping over some kid's Exploding Snap box on our way to the field. "Somebody else could fill in as Seeker for you so you don't have to go against Lupin."

"No, I have to play." I sighed, lifting my broom over a first year's head as he ran past me, "If I don't, he'll figure out why, and then he wins."

"I don't understand why you let him get to you so much, V."

"Well, I don't expect you to; you've been with Derek for two years."

Mirela grinned, "He wants me to go with him to Paris over the holidays."

"Are you going?"

"My parents said that I can," Mirela shrugged. "Madeline and Scorpius are staying at the manor over break, and Derek's already talking about finding a flat for us to move into next year."

"Wait…you and Derek are moving in together?"

"We might be." Mirela laughed, "I think I'm in love with him, V. I know we've been together a long time, but I've never said it. I really think I am."

"Well, great. That's great, Mire, congratulations."

* * *

We reached the Quidditch field in time for the game, and Mirela went into the stands to look for Derek, while I went to meet the team in the locker room.

Minutes later, we went to the field and the captains shook hands. We all rose into the air, and I maneuvered my broom to the side of the field, near the Ravenclaw goal-posts to keep an eye out for the Snitch.

"Oi, Victorie!" our Keeper, Chelsea, yelled from where she was in front of the middle goal, "Look!" she nodded towards someplace behind my head, and I turned to see the flash of gold.

"Thanks!" I shouted back before taking off across the field.

The Snitch flew past me and down into the rafters beneath the stands, and I shot after it, pushing my broom forward to gain speed. I reached forward and felt it slip through my fingers.

"Damn." I said to myself, following it through the rafters.

All of a sudden, I felt something slam into my side, and my broom went straight to my right, nearly slamming into the wooden beams.

"Sorry, Vic!" I heard Teddy yell, and as soon as I regained my balance, I shot my broom forward after him, slamming him in the opposite direction on my way.

"Damn you, Lupin!" I shouted, leaning forward again towards the Snitch.

"I'm just doing my job, Weasley!" Teddy shouted, catching up to me, "Same as you."

"This isn't the time for you to try being _civil, _Lupin!" I exclaimed, reaching out for the Snitch. I wrapped my fingers around it and began slowing down, feeling relieved to have won, when it slipped through my fingers again. Teddy caught up to me, and then it was an even shot for both of us. Teddy could have reached forward and grabbed the Snitch.

But he didn't lift a hand off of his broom.

"What the hell are you doing, Lupin, you could grab it!" I screamed, not fully understanding why I was telling him to win the match.

"You grabbed it, Weasley, go ahead, it's your game!"

"What are you talking about?" I briefly looked his way to see his hair was pink, a first.

"It's your ball, Vic, just take it before I grab it and force it into your bloody hand!"

I didn't reach for it; instead I fell back, giving him his game.

"What the hell, Victorie, grab the damn ball!"

"It's your game, Lupin, take the ball!"

Teddy looked angry, and the tips of his hair turned red, but he reached forward and grabbed the Snitch. I felt a wave of anger for losing, but it was quickly replaced by guilt; I owed him now. I never wanted to owe him anything.

And then he turned around and stayed in front of me. He pulled on the part of my glove that cut off at my knuckles, but didn't actually touch me, and when my hand was open he put the Snitch into it, closing my hand around it.

"It's your game, Weasley." He said, "You grabbed the ball first, it's yours."

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "Teddy, that's cheating, it's your ball, you caught it."

"So did you. I told you I was going to force you to take it."

I felt a feeling of nausea settle into my stomach and I took a deep breath, "Teddy…don't do this. Take the Snitch. I'll win the next one."

Teddy sighed and looked at my broom, and suddenly it was lifting up into the air. I shrieked, and he gave me a look I couldn't quite place.

"It's your game, Vic, and they're going to know that."

My broom rose higher into the air, and once I was on the field I heard screaming.

"Ravenclaw won!" somebody yelled, and I looked reluctantly down at my hand, slowly uncurling my fingers so that the Snitch flew away.

_The third time…_

It was in Hogsmeade. The train left to take everybody home for the winter holidays, and the Headmistress has allowed for third through seventh years to go to the village for the last day. Mirela and Derek had run off, probably to snog someplace, and had left me alone outside of the Three Broomsticks.

"Victorie!" somebody squealed, and I looked over to see my sister running over to me.

"Hey, Dom. You look happy."

"I am! Guess who came with me today?"

A feeling of nausea came over me, and I had to fight to keep from my overwhelming feeling of dread from showing on my face.

"Who?" I asked, immediately thinking my voice sounded too high.

"Teddy! I got tired of waiting around for him to ask me to come, so I asked him this morning and he said yes!"

"That…that's great, Dom. You've liked him for a while, haven't you?"

Dominique laughed, "Obviously. I'm actually kind of surprised that _you _don't fancy him, too, Victorie. He's pretty incredible."

_ Tell me about it. _

"Well, good luck with him, then."

My sister waved her fingers at me and walked towards the door to the Broomsticks, "If you see him, send him my way." She winked and went in, and it took me a few minutes to breathe properly again.

"Vic!" a voice said then, and it took everything I had to keep a straight face as I turned to face him. His hair was pink again.

"Teddy. Hi."

"I thought you didn't like Hogsmeade in the winter."

"Well, I _don't, _but Mirela invited me to come with her this time, so I figured I'd try liking it again."

"Where is she, then?"

"She ran off with Derek." I sighed, rolling my eyes, "She's still with the Slytherin."

"That's surprising."

"Yeah, I know."

Things felt the way they used to then, and I had to remind myself that they weren't.

"Oh, um…my sister's waiting for you. Inside."

Teddy's hair went from pink to gray and he sighed.

"I guess I'd better get in there, then."

"Don't sound so excited."

"Is it obvious?"

I laughed, "Only a little bit. But Dominique is so full of herself right now that I'm sure she won't even notice."

Teddy walked inside and I made my way down towards the Shrieking Shack. I had heard that the Shack was built when Teddy's father was a student at Hogwarts, but I never saw it being that old. There was still a fence blocking anybody from going into it, but I knew how to get there. Nobody was around anyway, so I felt perfectly fine screaming at the house; it had to have gotten its name somehow.

So he fancied my sister; I should have seen that coming. I had always known that Dominique was the pretty one, and from the second I fancied him I knew I would never have a chance with him as long as my sister was there. She was the pretty one, she was the one everybody chose. I was always second choice, and with him it was no difference. I dropped onto my knees next to the gate and could feel the cold from the snow seeping through my jeans to my skin. I twisted my fingers into the fence and closed my eyes.

I was crying because of a boy. And it wasn't just any boy, it was my brother's best mate; it was my uncle's godson, my sister's boyfriend.

It was my best friend, no matter how long we went without talking.

I don't know how long I sat like that, but eventually I stopped crying and started calling myself an idiot. But then I would be reminded of him somehow and would start crying all over again. And he wasn't mine to cry over in the first place.

"Victorie? Vic, what's wrong?" a hurried voice said from behind me, and I froze.

"Nothing's wrong, Teddy, just go away."

"I'm not going way until you tell me why you're crying."

"It's just the cold. Really, I'm fine. Besides, you shouldn't be here anyway, you should be with my sister."

"Why would I want to be with Dominique right now?"

I hadn't realized that he had sat next to me, but when I looked up, there he was.

"Because you came here with her. Aren't you two dating now?"

"You think we're dating?" Teddy started laughing, "That's funny, Vic. That's really funny."

I scoffed and stood up, walking back towards the village.

"I don't understand what's funny about that, Teddy."

"You think I'd date your sister. That's what's funny. Come on, Vic, its Dominique."

"You're a prick!" I exclaimed, turning around, "That happens to be my sister! And she just so happens to think that you like her as much as she likes you!"

"I'm never going to be interested in your sister, that way, Vic, it's your sister. It's Louis's sister."

"Well, so am I!"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"What's Dom being our sister have to do with anything?"

"You…you're angry with me because your sister pretty much forced me into coming today. And I'm the one at fault here?"

"Nobody's at fault, Teddy. I'm just saying that you need to be with my sister. It just makes sense."

"How does that make sense, Vic?"

"Because! You and my brother are best friends. Dominique is his twin sister. He loves her. It makes sense. You're in each other's year, you…it just does."

"That makes no sense! But do you know what does?"

"Do I want to?"

Teddy walked over to me, faster than I could have moved, and he kissed me. My eyes flew shut and I stood there like an idiot until the shock wore off and I was able to kiss him back.

But then he pulled back.

"That," he said, stepping around me towards the village. "That's what makes sense, Vic."


	5. Caught

_The first time…_

Teddy and I got caught together, it was on the train on the way home at the end of my fifth year. We had been hiding our relationship for nearly six months when it happened, and it wouldn't have happened if Derek wasn't as big of a prick as I knew he was.

"Come on, Vic, you know how Hogwarts students work, nobody's going to come in here if there are already people here." Teddy laughed, pulling me towards an empty compartment the second we got onto the train in Hogsmeade Village. He grabbed my hands and pulled me in, sliding the door to the car closed the second I was in.

"You never know, my brother might be looking for you," I sighed, sitting next to him next to the car window.

"Please tell me you really aren't thinking about your brother right now." Teddy said, shaking his head before he kissed me.

I kissed him back, feeling his hands on my back, before I pulled away.

"Well, you're the one who mentioned him last, please tell me you're not thinking about Louis while you're kissing me."

I kissed him again, and he laughed before pulling back.

"Can we stop talking about your brother now, please?"

I nodded, and his hair turned bright yellow, causing me to laugh.

"We're laughing at me now?"

"No," I laughed, shaking my head. "You're just happy. That's all."

"I'm glad you noticed." Teddy grinned, kissing me again.

The train started moving and I pulled away from him again.

"Can we stop with the stopping?" Teddy asked, taking a deep breath.

I groaned, "I wish." I pushed his bangs out of his eyes, "But we still haven't actually talked about what you said to my sister after Hogsmeade before Christmas."

"Please tell me you're not thinking about your siblings every time we kiss."

"I don't, I promise, but I _am _going to have to live there all summer, I'd like to know what you told her."

I put my hands on his arm and sat closer to him than I already was.

"I didn't tell her anything. I've been hiding from her."

"You…you've been hiding from Dominique since the winter holidays?"

"Why do you think I didn't come to visit you guys during Christmas or Easter? She scares me."

I laughed, "I can see that. But you're going to have to tell her eventually. She isn't going to give up if she doesn't think you aren't interested. And even then…I don't know if she'll give up."

Teddy sighed and put his head on my shoulder, "I can't wait until we can tell them."

"I know." I said, putting my hand on his neck, "Good luck talking to Louis and my parents about that."

"I figure if I can get past Harry and Ginny, Bill and Fleur will be no problem," Teddy said, and I could hear him smiling.

"My parents love you, Teddy, I'm sure that'll be okay. But when my brother finds out…"

"We'll deal with that when we need to," Teddy lifted his head and kissed me again, but not as desperately as last time.

"It looks like Professor Trelawney was right, I am psychic, because I _so _saw this coming."

Teddy and I jumped apart from each other and I turned towards the door of the car to see Mirela standing there, her eyes swollen and her voice thick.

"Mirela," I said, standing and walking towards her. "Mirela, what happened?"

"Can I sit in here with you guys until we get to London?" Mirela asked, "I promise I won't interrupt whatever thing it is that you two were going to do."

I moved out of the way and Mirela sat across from Teddy.

"Mirela. What happened? Why were you crying?"

"I can't tell you…not today, not when you and Lupin are…no, it's not important."

"Do I need to leave?" Teddy asked, leaning forward like he was planning to stand up.

"No, Teddy, it's fine, you can stay." Mirela said, and I sat down next to her.

"Mirela, come on. Tell me what happened. We're practically family, we're sisters. What is you is me, and you can tell me anything. So please, Mire, let me help you."

"Derek…Derek and I broke up. I'm a stupid young girl who thought that I could last forever with a guy I met when I was fifteen."

I took a deep breath, hoping that she wasn't taking her pain out on what she had walked in on.

"What happened? What did he do?"

"It wasn't Derek, it was me…I should have realized that an eighteen year old boy isn't interested in moving in with his Hogwarts girlfriend."

"Wh…Mirela, what did he do?" Teddy asked, and I looked up to see him looking genuinely worried.

"He's been seeing some girl from a school in the States. The entire time, and he's just now telling me that I've been his second since she's an ocean away, but now that we're done with school he's going to do training for Quidditch over there to be with her."

I felt anger grow inside of me, and Teddy's hair was flaming red, not like my family's hair; it was angrier than that.

"Enough about me." Mirela sniffed, looking between Teddy and me, grinning, "When did this happen?"

_The second time… _

We were at my grandparents' house. And we weren't careful. Well, I guess that could be negotiable. I was living with my Gran for some of the summer, and Teddy came to visit.

"Victorie!" my grandmother yelled, and I made my way down the stairs, "Teddy's going to be here soon, and until your cousins get here with your brother and sister, you're going to have to entertain him; Arthur and I are going to Diagon Alley to get things for the dinner we're having tonight for your birthday, so we won't be back until after he's here."

"Its okay, Gran," I told her, walking downstairs. "I'll make sure that Teddy doesn't get bored."

"When we get back, remind me to talk to him about a Muggle device called an eye-phone," my grandfather said, walking past me towards the fireplace.

"It's _iPhone_¸ Granpa—never mind. I'll remind you." I shook my head and looked towards my grandparents, both standing in the fireplace, "I'll see you soon."

Green flames surrounded my grandparents, and then they were gone, and I was alone in the house. I walked towards the kitchen, my lovely Weasley genetics taking over, and I prepared to look for food. Right as I was getting ready to look in their fridge, I heard a pop in the living room, and I walked out of the kitchen.

He was standing in the middle of the room, his hair both brown and blue, and the second I saw him I ran to him.

"You know, you saw me only a few weeks ago, Vic." He laughed, and kissed my head.

"Yes, but that doesn't make it _any _easier."

"Well, I'm here now," he looked around the room. "Where are Gran and Granpa Weasley?"

"You literally just missed them; they're going to get stuff for dinner later or something, I'm not entirely sure, but I know they went to Diagon Alley."

"It's still the birthday celebration for you, right?"

I sighed, "It's not just me; it's me, Roxanne, Lucy, Fred, Lily, and you. All of the ones who were at school over their birthdays."

"Well, if that was the case, I should have just waited until Harry and Ginny bring the kids. There's nothing interesting to do here until other people get here; you're so boring."

"Oh, you're right; I'm totally boring, I must not be the one who's been snogging you for six months, I must have confused myself with someone else."

"I don't know if I'd go that far, V," Teddy grinned, kissing me gently.

I laughed against his lips and heard a noise in the background; it was probably just a garden gnome or something.

"Word of advice: pull _away _before my Mum and Dad get in here, or you'll never hear the end of it." I heard my cousin Roxanne's familiar voice, and my eyes flew open in shock and I nearly pushed Teddy away from me.

"Don't worry, Vicky, I won't tell your secret," Roxanne grinned, winking at us. "But for future reference, be careful where you touch her, Lupin."

Teddy paled faster than my aunt can fly, and his skin looked so bloodless it gave Mirela's family a run for it's money.

"Wh…what?" Teddy choked, looking at my cousin like terrified.

Roxanne laughed, "I didn't mean that, Teddy, don't look so terrified. I just meant be careful where you touch her, because our family can walk in and see her snogging you, and then you'll have something to be scared of."

_The third time…_

Was on the train on the way to school for sixth year. Teddy had made Head Boy for his last year, and the second he was finished with his meeting he met up with me and Roxanne in the compartment we had found.

"You two still haven't told Louis and Dom yet?" Roxanne asked.

"Always the tone of disapproval," I said, looking at my cousin.

"Well, why haven't you? Mirela know, I know…it's only a matter of time before somebody else finds out and isn't so secretive about it."

"I'm going to talk to Louis about it this week," Teddy said, catching me off guard. I wasn't expecting him to say that.

"Y…you are? You're actually going to talk to my brother?"

"He's my best friend, I want to make sure he's okay with this," Teddy said, grabbing my hand. "And besides, I'm crazy about his baby sister, I don't want to faze him out." He smiled at me, "Oh, and then the crazy Dominique will back off."

I laughed, and Roxanne looked at us curiously.

"You better be praying to Albus Dumbledore himself for a miracle, then," she said. "Louis will probably just give you a lecture about not hurting his sister or whatever, but Dom…she's crazy."

"Exactly," Teddy laughed. "Dom _is _crazy."

"Yeah, about you." I said, shaking my head, "Don't let your head get too big, Lupin."

"Hey, if it was getting big, don't you think you'd see it? All part of the misfortune of being Metamorphagi. Don't worry, V, your sister can be mad when it comes to me all she wants, but _I'm _mad for her sister, and that's all that matters."

I giggled and he kissed me, making me forget that my cousin was in the same room.

"So _this _is what baby Vic has been hiding from her favorite Fred." My cousin said, and I groaned, pulling away from Teddy to look at him.

"Hey, Fred. Lovely train ride, isn't it?" Teddy asked, and Roxanne gave me a look, knowing that the boys were more uncomfortable than we were.

"I figure if I didn't know yet that her brother doesn't, so I'll give you the speech myself. Everybody in our family seems to have 'Princess Dominique' up on a pedestal, but Victorie has always been my favorite cousin—"

"Hey!" Roxanne exclaimed, cutting him off.

"—One of my favorite cousins," Fred continued. "And if she gets hurt because of my uncle's godson, you're going to have a lot to worry about, understand?"

"Yes, sir?" Teddy asked, and Roxanne bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

"Fred, I really was going to tell you—"

"Don't worry about it, Vicky," Fred grinned, sitting next to Roxanne. "I don't see anything wrong with it as long as you don't snog around me again."

Teddy and I laughed, and I looked at my cousin.

"Deal."


End file.
